Improvement in life-preserving- stools



aient mit.

HENRY "r. PRATT, or 'New YORK,l Y.

'Letters tPatentNo. 100,801, dated March 15, l'ru:

IMPROVEMENT IN LIFE-PRESERVING STOQLS.

The Scheddlie referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To allftuhomit mayconeern t V' Be it knowntbat LH. T. PRATT,`oftl1e city, county, and State o f New York, have invented a new and improved Life-Stool and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact `description thereof,

which will enable otherslskilled in the art to make. and use the same, Yieferenee beingr ,had to the accompanying drawings forming part ot' this specification. l

This invention consists in providing stools for use on steamers and other vessels, adapted for use, also, as

Vlite-pi'eservers,the said stoolsV being composed of a short hollow cylindrical or other shaped part, made of paper, and two ends orheads of' wood, one of which ends forms the seat and the` other the base. Also,

l there is providedone or more handles, and a strap or cord for attaching to the body.

The paper is used for the construction lofr the cylinder because of its high capacity to resist the action of heat, cold, and moisture ;also because of' its great strength and lightness.

Figure 1 representsan elevation of my improved stool, partl'y in section, and in the position for use as a, stool.

. Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the same when used for a float or life-preserver.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

. A is 'the hollow cylinder, and

. B the heads for the same.

. D represents handles, and

`E a strap attached tothe cylinder, or it may be to .one of the heads,permanent1y at one end and detach-- ably at the'other, for passing round the body, for att taching the stool to be used asa life-prserver.

The said hollow cylinder must necessarily1 be i|upervious tofwater, so that whenv `floating therein it will not fill and displace the air. lt must also be strong, light, and durable, and capable of exposure tothe variations o'i' ten'merature,` and wet and dry condiy tions, without checking, Ior splitting, or corroding.

l greater degree than in any other known substance.'

`All these qualities exist, as I have found by experiment, in straw or `lnanilla papel', placed together in sheets and cemeutedin the manner well known, in a I` therefore propose to use paper for these cylinders,

and to connect the ends to the wood heads B, I4 make annular grooves in one side of' each, fitted to receive the said ends, and cement them in any approved way,

so as not to use nails or screws, by which holes would be made through the paper.

I propose also to make grooves vin the peripheries of these heads, and pack strong paper bands F in them to strengthenthem, and prevent warping; also to hold theends ot' the handles D, which are necessarily engaged in holes near the peripheries, more lirmly. These handles spring outward at the center a greater distance than the heads do, and therefore preventthe stools from rolling on thel deck when laying ppn the sides. I lbc straps or cords E may be connected 1n any suitable way at one end, say by the rings Gr and staples Y H, andthe other end may have snap-books, I', to cui gage with the rings G when the stool is used-for a` seat, but when used as a buoy, the strap, after pass; ing around the body, under the arms, may be connected to the staples K at the end opposite the one where the ring G is connected.

One ofthe heads, B, may have short legs` or knobs,v L, to rest upon, it preferred.

I do not, however, limit myself to the precise arrangement herein shown for connecting the cylinder andthe ends, nor to the mode of connecting the handles or straps; nor do I limit myselfl to the cylindrh ca'l form of the part A, as all these details may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-ters Patent 1. A stool, adapted for use as aseat and life-pre server, consisting of a hollow cylinder, A, made of paper,- the heads B and the handles D, the latter curved outward, substantially as and for the purpose specified. y

2. The arrangement, with the heads B, of the paper strengthennig-bands F, in grooves, substantially as specified.

3u The arrangement, with the heads B, of the handles D, to prevcnt rolling, substantially as-specitied. The above specification of my invention signed by me this 16th day of November, 1869.

` HENRY T. PRATT.

. Witnesses GEO. W; Maen, ALEX.. F. Roesems. 

